


Circles and Cycles

by LynsFantasy



Series: Lotor Ship Week 2018 (by Laina) [5]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Magic, Angst, Character Death, Character Turned Into Vampire, He doesn't deserve this, I'm Sorry, Immortality, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Kissing, Lotor Ship Week 2018, M/M, Magic-Users, Multi, Polyamory, Prophecy, Prophetic Dreams, Reincarnation, Vampires, lotor angst, oh kind of forgot to tag, very mild but the implication is there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-30
Updated: 2018-06-30
Packaged: 2019-05-31 11:35:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15118556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LynsFantasy/pseuds/LynsFantasy
Summary: Lotor already has enough excitement in his life, trying to keep his relationship with not just one but two men hidden from their village. He doesn't need things to get complicated.But, of course, nothing good lasts forever. When confronted with death and immortality, Lotor must make some hard choices.(For Lotor Ship Week, Day 6: Truth/Memory)





	Circles and Cycles

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [Lotor Ship Week 2018](http://harmonia-circle.tumblr.com/post/173678278656/starting-june-25th-and-ending-july-1st-we-invite)
> 
> Warning: The character death tag is serious. I'm not merely referring to a character dying and coming back as a vampire. Characters die and stay dead, and there are descriptions of blood both related and unrelated to the vampirism.

_Mesopotamia, ~2000 BCE_

 

“Come on! I want to show you something!”

Lotor smiled as the boy dragged him along by the arm, running out into the night under the light of the full moon. He laughed lightly as the breeze whipped his long, dark hair and tousled the boy’s much shorter brown hair.

The boy – Lanis – led Lotor into the woods, then to a clearing with a beautiful pond that sparkled under the moonlight. The area was breathtakingly beautiful, and Lotor could almost feel the magic in it. He looked around in awe, delighted by the sight. “Lanis, this is lovely,” he told his partner.

Lanis beamed with joy. “Isn’t it? But where’s Keth? He’s supposed to meet us here…”

As if on cue, a familiar young man with black, choppy hair slipped from the shadows into the moonlight. He looked around with a sort of neutrally curious expression, somewhere between wonder and suspicion. “This seems like a place for the fae,” he said.

Lanis scoffed. “As if I would bring you two to a fae sacred place. I know better than that! No, this place _is_ magical, I can feel it, but it does not belong to the fae or to anyone else. It’s a neutral zone, and it’s the perfect place for a secret midnight tryst.”

“Thank you, Lanis,” Lotor told him. “This is a wonderful location.”

Keth nodded. “Yeah, good choice.”

Lanis sat down at the edge of the pond and motioned for the other two to join him. “Come on! We only have until morning, and I’ve missed you both so much.”

Lotor knelt beside Lanis and placed a hand on the side of his head, gently guiding him into a kiss. Keth came up behind the two and captured Lanis’ lips as soon as Lotor left them, and Lanis’ fingers tangled in Keth’s soft, silky hair as he deepened the kiss. Then Keth pulled away from Lanis and brought a hand to the back of Lotor’s head, pulling him into a rougher, more desperate kiss. Lanis, not one to be patient or to let himself be left out, kissed Keth’s cheek, then Lotor’s, then Keth’s again, getting closer and closer to their joined lips each time, until both Keth and Lotor turned slightly to allow Lanis to join in the kiss. The three-way kiss was shallow but loving, and the three boys made up for its lack of depth by using their hands to explore one another, tangling fingers in hair and stroking along smooth planes of muscle. They broke apart in order to remove their garments as the mood shifted to sensual, and then they spent the rest of the night in bliss under moonlight and stars, enjoying their forbidden love.

~~~***~~~

They’d known that it was foolish to think that they could be together for the rest of their lives, but none of the three of them had quite expected _this_. A lapse in his usual caution had led to Lotor being attacked and turned by a vampire. Unable to hide what he now was from his lovers, Lotor showed them the fangs that did not quite fully retract, still poking out beyond the rest of his teeth no matter what Lotor did to try to hide them. He expected them to be disgusted with him, possibly to even kill him. He was a vampire, after all, an abomination against nature and humanity alike. What he did _not_ expect was for Lanis to kiss him deeply, pressing his tongue into Lotor’s mouth to explore the little fang tips. When Lanis pulled away, Lotor was breathless and stunned, but Lanis just gave him a mischievous grin. “That’s sexy,” he declared, moving his eyebrows in a way that was probably supposed to be suggestive but mostly just looked silly.

Lotor burst out laughing, partially from relief. Still, he glanced over at Keth, who was still watching Lotor with no small amount of suspicion. “I… I understand if you do not want to be around me anymore,” Lotor told him.

Keth cracked a smile and shook his head. “I’m worried for you,” Keth admitted, “but I still love you. I’m not going to let this keep us apart.”

“But… if I need blood…”

“You can drink from us without draining us or turning us, right?” Keth asked.

Lotor nodded. “I will have to be cautious, but yes, that is possible.”

Lanis smiled and declared, “That’s perfect! After all, if you drink from us, it’s less likely that other people will find out that you’re a vampire, right? We’ll just have another thing to do during our little meetings.”

Lotor wanted to protest this plan, to tell his lovers to get far, far away from him, but he could see Lanis’ logic… and, honestly, Lotor did not want to leave them. The mere thought of a life without them was abhorrent, though it was a reality that Lotor would have to face soon enough when they aged and died and returned to the reincarnation cycle while Lotor was left alone, frozen in time. Still, that was an issue for later. In the present moment, Lotor nodded and gave his lovers a grateful smile. “I love you two so much.”

The two seemed to take this as a cue, coming up to Lotor and wrapping their arms around him. He reveled in their warmth against his now-too-cool skin and the sensation of their heartbeats thudding dully against his still chest, but the sensation he cared most about was the pure love and acceptance he could feel from them both. He put an arm around each of them, and the three of them stayed in that moment for a long time.

~~~***~~~

“It seems that my new state has given me enhanced magical abilities,” Lotor told his lovers.

They were back by the pond in the clearing, their favorite secret meeting place. The moon was full and high above them, and thousands of stars sparkled across the black sky. Lotor could now truly feel the magic of this location, which made it perfect for what he wanted to do, if his lovers would permit him.

Lanis and Keth both listened curiously as they stood with Lotor at the edge of the water.

“Although I have accepted my fate, the idea of an eternity without the two of you is… unpleasant,” Lotor admitted, looking out onto the water to avoid their gazes. “I know that you have both already turned down my offer to make you immortal, and I respect that. I simply could not help but wonder if there could be a way for me to find you in your next lives. I know that reincarnation is meant to be a fresh start, but I decided to check for such a spell anyways, and…” He looked at his lovers for their reaction. “I found one. I found a spell that will allow me to sense your souls even after reincarnation. I know that this goes against the natural order of things, and I understand if you would rather—”

“That’s perfect!” Lanis declared with a grin. “I’ve been so worried for you, on your own without us after we die. I’ve been wishing that there was some way I could be there for you without also becoming immortal, and this is perfect for that!”

Lotor could admit to himself that he wasn’t expecting Lanis to react so favorably to the idea, so his enthusiasm was a relief. Keth, on the other hand, had the kind of thoughtful hesitance that Lotor expected.

With a long exhale, Keth said slowly, “I’m a little wary about what this could mean for our future lives, but… it would be nice to know that you won’t be totally alone. If I can be there for you, I will.”

Gratitude shone in Lotor’s eyes as he gently took their hands. “Thank you so much, my loves.”

Lanis smiled back, bright but understanding. “It’s no problem at all. Now, what do we need to do to make this spell work?”

~~~***~~~

Lotor stood outside of his father’s family’s tomb. His grandparents and uncles were buried here, and now his father and mother had joined them. He supposed he should be grieving. He had not shed a single tear thus far, and, while he was going through the motions of mourning, it was clear that his heart was not in it. The people of their village looked at him like he was a monster.

Which… they were _right_ , but not for the reasons they had in mind.

It wasn’t that Lotor wasn’t sad. Of course he was grieving. His relationship with his parents had been strained at best, but he hadn’t wished them _dead_. In fact, he mourned the lost opportunity to reconnect and reconcile with them. He just didn’t have the tendency to express his grief through grand gestures of mourning. He internalized his pain, suffering silently instead.

Besides, he doubted that the townspeople would react well to seeing him cry tears of blood.

Next to him, Keth stood in perfect silence, simply _existing_ with Lotor and sharing in his grief. Lotor appreciated the silent support. Keth, having lost his own parents, whom he’d been estranged from, understood what Lotor was going through better than most could, and he understood Lotor’s need for silence and stillness. Lanis had been here too, earlier, but he left after a little while, sensing that his particular brand of comfort was not what Lotor needed at the moment.

“I thought I had more time,” Lotor finally said aloud.

Keth hummed in understanding, but he verbalized nothing.

“They never knew the truth about me.”

Gray eyes met Lotor’s. “Even if you’d known the end was coming, would you have told them?”

They weren’t really talking about the vampirism. “No. If I’d known, I would have apologized for my rebelliousness – even though I would not have meant it,” Lotor assured Keth, “—and I would have let them believe that I was the son they wanted me to be. I would have tried to let them be proud and happy for their final days.”

Keth hummed in thought. “I suppose I would have done the same for my parents if I’d had the chance,” he admitted. “Though if they had insisted on arranging a marriage so that they knew I was all set for a ‘happy life’ before they left the world, I would’ve had to say no.”

Lotor smiled wryly. “I think everyone in town has figured out how you and Lanis feel about each other. You two are not exactly _subtle_.”

“And you’re so much better?”

“ _I_ have not been suspected by half the town elders,” Lotor asserted proudly. “In fact, they apparently feel confident enough in my lack of involvement in your supposed crimes that they are willing to speak to me about the situation and try to glean information from me. They know I am close to you two, but they appear to believe that my involvement with you two is purely as a platonic confidant.”

Keth snorted in amusement. “They have no idea how wrong they are.”

“Indeed.” Lotor smirked, smiling for the first time since his parents’ mysterious deaths, though the smile quickly faded as he looked back at the tomb.

Silence stretched between them for a moment before Keth asked, “Do you have any idea what happened to them? I know that you told everyone that you had no clue, but…”

Lotor shook his head. “It was certainly dark magic – Co-Chief Alfan’s testimony confirms that much – but I have no idea what type or why.”

Keth looked at the tomb again, though his gaze seemed to go beyond the stone in front of it, as if he were trying to investigate the bodies inside. Finally, he exhaled in defeat and turned away. “I suppose we’ll either find a clue elsewhere or never know. Do you want to stay here, or do you want to head out?”

Though he hesitated for a moment, Lotor nodded. “Let’s go.”

They walked away in comfortable silence, holding hands under the moonlight until they drew too near to the town.

Just as they stepped into the town, they heard an unnatural sound, and suddenly everything was lit from behind them in sickly purple light. They looked back to see that the glow was coming in the direction of the tomb.

Lotor had never considered himself to be the type of person who was easily scared, but, in that moment, he was terrified.

~~~***~~~

It seemed like the world was falling apart. Death had apparently been reversed, the magic of the area was being poisoned by whatever dark force had brought back Lotor’s father into some cruel simulacrum of life (not even proper undeath -- Zarkon was less alive than Lotor at this point), a witch named Haggar of unknown power and origin had appeared out of nowhere to influence Zarkon and to drive him to turn against his co-chief and to split their people into factions, and it seemed that some of the townspeople were starting to figure out that Lotor was no longer human.

Only one thing was certain. Lotor and his lovers had to leave, _now_.

Lotor rushed to Keth’s small dwelling on the edge of town. Since Lanis still lived with his large family, his house was unsafe for the lovers, but Keth had been alone for years now, so while they avoided meeting at his house too often for fear of confirming the townspeople’s suspicions, it was as secure a place as any to meet up. Lotor had told both of them to pack and meet him there. He himself had not packed much, but he had risked going back to his father’s house briefly to get a few small objects with sentimental value and some practical supplies.

When Lotor reached the house, however, he was horrified to find it trashed and empty. There were clear signs of attempted attack. None of the stuff inside had been taken, so this wasn’t a robbery. Someone had tried to kill Keth, and probably Lanis as well. Lotor frantically looked around for any indication of what might have happened to his two lovers, and he felt a rush of hope as he saw a few footsteps heading into the woods. If they had managed to get away and get into the woods, there was one location they were most likely to go to.

Venturing into the forest, Lotor immediately ran to their special clearing. He didn’t believe in the gods, but he prayed to any spirits or fae that could hear him that Lanis and Keth would be there and alive and safe. He… he didn’t know what he’d do if they weren’t. They had to be there. They had to be safe. They had to be _alive, please, please be alive…_

Lotor stumbled into the clearing, and…

Red. He saw red. Red blood on the ground around their red-blood-covered bodies and red in his eyes as the tears of blood came and _red, red anger_ …

He yelled brokenly into the night, but no one answered. His lovers were already cold and dead.

~~~***~~~

The woman standing beside Lotor looked so much like Lanis that looking at her made Lotor’s chest ache. But it made sense that she looked like Lanis, since she was his sister. She had always mirrored him in appearance.

Though the sorrow in her eyes now mirrored Lotor’s.

“Alia,” Lotor said softly, breaking the silence that stretched between them as they looked at the side-by-side graves. “I am so, so sorry.”

Bright blue eyes shifted to and locked on Lotor. “Don’t apologize,” she said, and her voice was steady and commanding. “It’s not your fault that the witch Haggar did this or that your father was killed and then brought back by evil magic to become a monster. It’s not your fault that my brother and his… best friend are dead.” She hesitated on the words ‘best friend’ for good reason. Though she knew their secret, she also knew it was best not to speak about it, even now after their deaths. It was best to leave the townspeople to wonder forever whether they were wrong or right about their suspicions of that relationship… and of what Lotor had become.

Alia knew that secret, too. She knew a great many things that she hid from all others. And Lotor knew a few of her secrets in exchange.

“A prophetic dream came to me in the early hours of the morning,” she finally said, breaking the silence. She had apparently figured out that Lotor was not going to reply to her previous statement, and Lotor was grateful for the topic change.

“Oh? What have the gods revealed to you?” Not that Lotor believed in the gods. Alia didn’t, either. They believed in spirits and magic, which were very real and which they had personal experience with, but neither believed in gods. Still, it was best to keep up the appearance of piety.

Alia was silent for a moment before she finally said, “I saw an image of a strange other world. Perhaps it was of the distant future. A time when…” She shook her head, as if she could not believe what she had seen. “People use little devices to communicate all over the world. Vehicles much faster than chariots and pulled by no animals race along paths reinforced by artificial stones. There are murals that capture the _exact_ likeness of reality, including motion.”

She shook her head again. “I cannot describe it, really. But I saw you. You look a little different in my vision, but it is definitely _you_ , not a reincarnation. Your hair in particular – pure white instead of the near-black it is now, but not like an old man’s. It is as if your hair has been bleached by the sun for thousands of years.”

“But I cannot go out in sunlight without a shield spell, which, by necessity, would prevent the sun’s beams from affecting my hair,” Lotor protested, interrupting.

She gave him an annoyed look. “I can only tell you what I saw. Besides, we do not know all there is to know about magic and vampirism. Perhaps, one day, you will find a spell that will make you truly immune to sunlight. Perhaps use of magic will eventually leech the color from your hair. Or perhaps such fading is natural over a long period of time. I do not know.” She raised an eyebrow at him. “May I continue?”

Lotor looked away in shame. “My apologies for interrupting.”

Alia nodded, then continued, “I could see the reincarnations of everyone we know and care about. Yet, though reincarnation puts someone in an entirely new form in an entirely new life, these reincarnations look remarkably similar to the forms we know. I saw you, utterly shocked as you see Lanis’ reincarnation. You admit to him that you know him from his past lives, and you say that he has never before looked this similar to the person you originally met. You also meet Keth’s reincarnation, and again, you remark that he looks so remarkably similar to Keth, more so than he has ever looked.

“The others are there as well. I saw my own reincarnation, as well as Shio’s. Katiya and Matior are also there, as well as Hinkor. We all do not look quite as similar to our current selves, but we do look similar enough that you seem to take it as a sign. You reference this very prophesy, actually. You gather us together and tell us all that everything has come full-circle, and that it is now time to go defeat the witch once and for all.”

Silence stretched between them for a moment before Lotor finally asked, “Do you think the vision is literal or figurative? Did you see the exact future, or is this merely a symbol of what will happen?”

Alia looked uncomfortably unsure. “I cannot say, really. It was quite vivid, unusually so for any of my visions of the actual future. But it also lacked the esoteric nature of my more symbolic dreams. I cannot tell you for sure. All I know is this – you will need us all in order to get your revenge, and it will not come in this lifetime. Do not attempt to fight the witch directly, not for a long time. Wait until you are sure that you have developed your powers and abilities. Gain allies. See the world. And…” She looked Lotor in the eyes. “Defeat your father first. He is the witch’s pawn. You must destroy him before you can get to her. Do you understand?”

“Yes. Thank you, Alia.” Lotor gave her as grateful of a smile as he could muster, though her words disturbed him to his core. “Are there any other details of your dream that may help me?”

Alia hesitated for a moment before she said, “You will sire four vampires.” She paused, then amended, “You will sire _at least_ four vampires, but I only know of four in particular. They will have a role to play in all of this, too. They will be your closest companions and strongest allies.

Lotor picked up on an undertone of sadness in Alia’s voice. “Does something happen to them?” he asked.

Shaking her head, Alia reminded him, “You cannot fight fate. If I told you what was to come, and you then tried to fight it, you would only cause it to happen, and you may in fact make everything worse for yourself. Know that, from what I have seen, they will be your greatest joy apart from your lovers. Though something _will_ go wrong at some point, you will not regret turning them and training them and trusting them. And by the time everything falls apart, things will have already come full circle, and you will have the rest of us to fall back on.”

The prediction made Lotor uncomfortable, but he knew the truth of Alia’s words. He could not fight fate. Besides, the idea of immortal companionship was a highly attractive one. He could use some dependable allies who would not age and die. “Thank you, Alia,” he said again.

Her smile looked so, so painfully similar to Lanis’. “You are very welcome, my dear friend.”

 

~~~***~~~***~~~***~~~

 

_A very, very long time later…_

 

_“Lanis?”_

_“Hmm? Not quite, but you’re close! The name’s Lance. And you are?”_

_“Lotor.”_

_“Nice to meet you, Lotor. How’d you know my name? Or, well, almost know it?”_

_“I suppose I must have heard it from someone.”_

_“Please tell me it wasn’t Mullet-Hair over there. He hates me.”_

_“Keth?”_

_“…Keith. It’s pronounced ‘Keith’. But yeah, that guy.”_

_“No, I assure you, I have not yet had the chance to speak with Keith.”_

_“That’s good.”_

_~~~***~~~_

_“Say, Lance, do you believe in reincarnation?”_

_“…funny thing, uh… if anyone else had asked me that before now, I’d say no, but… I’m getting some really strong déjà vu right now.”_

_“I see. And Keith, do you?”_

_“Maybe. Should I?”_

_“…”_

_“Lotor, tell us the truth. Lance and I deserve to know, don’t you think? Do you know us?”_

_“…yes.”_

_“Wait, but… how do you know me and Keith?”_

_“It’s only a distant memory now, but it all started about four thousand years ago, back when I was still human. There were two amazing young men named Lanis and Keth…”_

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this idea in the works for a long time now, and I figured it would suit this prompt well. I also have ideas for potential follow-up chapters detailing Lotor's adventures through history as he finds and loses Lanis' and Keth's reincarnations over and over again throughout his 4,000-year lifespan. I'm not going to guarantee a continuation, but if you're interested in that, please let me know. I have a variety of time periods I want to explore, as well as the implications of reincarnation when it comes to gender and sexuality.
> 
> Please comment and let me know what you think of this. I know it's a little unusual, but I hope everything makes sense. Please also leave kudos if you liked this. Thank you!


End file.
